Nissan Saudi Arabia is celebrating 5 years since the opening of its regional headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The opening of the office in Saudi Arabia was considered a significant part of Nissan’s strategic plan to primarily serve the KSA market and consumers, to support its dealers in the Kingdom, and to ensure that Nissan’s global standards are being implemented in all showrooms and service centers.
Commenting on this noteworthy occasion, Managing Director of Nissan KSA, Bader El Houssami, said: “The KSA market is considered a key strategic growth market for Nissan on a regional level. We at Nissan Saudi Araba take pride in being the first global automotive company with a wide presence in the Kingdom to support our dealers and effectively serve our customers. We believe that this significant step of opening our regional headquarters in 2017 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has not only helped build credibility and reliability with our customers, but we were also able to position Nissan KSA as a brand that is easy to do business with our current dealers and further expand our network across the Kingdom.”
Nissan Saudi Arabia has done a number of remarkable achievements over the years, including strengthening the relationship with its authorized dealers in the Kingdom, Petromin Nissan, its official retail sales dealer in the Kingdom, and Manahil International, Nissan’s specialized dealer for fleet, government sales, and authorized wholesalers to serve customers throughout the Kingdom. Nissan KSA also partnered up with Etisal, Nissan’s dedicated call center, to provide a world class service to all customers across the Kingdom. Additionally, the company has supported its local talents by introducing the Nissan Hero program to train sales consultants and create jobs for Saudi youth. Nissan KSA also initiated the “Nissan Academy” online platform which is designed to develop and support Nissan’s sales consultants across the Kingdom. Both programs serve the same purpose which is to enable Saudi talents to progress professionally in the field of sales consulting and to train them to gain more experience in the automotive industry.
When it comes to the initiatives that were done towards empowering Saudi females in the local automotive sector, Nissan KSA was the first automotive company to go live with a female-oriented campaign, titled “SheDrives” within 48 minutes of the Royal Decree Announcement. The campaign won multiple awards at Cannes Lion International, “Effie” Awards and “Dubai Lynx”. The company also launched the “Sanadek” application in 2019, its first RSA (Roadside Assistance) application that was specifically designed to empower female Nissan drivers on the road in the Kingdom and provide them with services such as towing, fuel delivery, battery charging, and maintenance. Even within the workplace, Nissan KSA is committed to ensuring diversity and inclusion by giving women the opportunity to lead different positions in the company. Therefore, the company initiated its GTR program that aims to train fresh female and male graduates by having them work across various departments and divisions to become well-rounded managers familiar with all aspects of the business at the end of their 2-year training program.
In parallel with the goals of the Saudi 2030 vision which aims to promote digital transformation in the Kingdom, Nissan KSA has continuously provided new and innovative services to its customers to contribute to improving their experience and expanding the scope of its digital services to meet the needs of customers in the Kingdom. The company launched its official WhatsApp account in both languages, English and Arabic, with their AI chatbot Kaito, to answer all customers’ questions and requests around the clock such as exploring different models, downloading brochures, exploring offers, finding the nearest showrooms, as well as submitting different requests based on their preferences.
The increase in Nissan sales directly linked to the WhatsApp service resulted in 34 times the ROI (return on investment) in just six months. To ensure customer convenience and safety, Nissan Saudi Arabia has integrated its digital services to ensure that new customers as well as existing Nissan owners get an uninterrupted shopping experience. The virtual showroom is the latest addition to the company's repertoire of digital services that enables customers to visualize and select the right vehicle for them. Through this advanced feature, users can view the car of their choice and see its main features, engine details, power, and available colors.
With regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nissan Saudi Arabia has taken all measures and public safety guidelines to protect its employees, dealers, and customers. For instance, the company collaborated with Weqaya, the Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control, to initiate Nissan’s first automotive operational guideline, following the protocols set forth by Weqaya, to the dealer to ensure the safety of customers and employees. In addition, Nissan Saudi Arabia implemented the ‘Safe and Clean’ program, a global program conducted by Nissan in various markets across the world, which consists of ‘back-to-business’ guidelines that puts customers at peace when visiting Petromin Nissan showrooms. Nissan KSA was the only market to align the program's guidelines with the protocols of the Saudi CDC.
Nissan's presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirms its commitment to achieving the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 by promoting the local automotive sector and contributing to the Saudi economy by providing new job opportunities.